Sonoma State Historic Park
The Park is currently OPEN.
Please check the hours of operation.Passes Information
Park Facilities
Parking
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available
Restrooms
Drinking Water Available
Park Information
Locations
Administrative Office: 20 E. Spain St, Sonoma CA 95476
Mission San Francisco Solano: 114 E. Spain St, Sonoma CA 95476
Vallejo Home: 363 3rd St West, Sonoma CA 95476
Barracks: 36 E. Spain St, Sonoma CA 95476
Bay Area District Office: 845 Casa Grande Rd, Petaluma CA 94954-5804
Park Contacts
Mission San Francisco Solano: (707) 938-9560
Vallejo Home: (707) 938-9559
SPPARKS Barracks Gift Store: (707) 939-9420 | retailmanager@sonomaparks.org
Photo, Film & Special Event Permits: (707) 939-6188 | sonoma.events@parks.ca.gov
Bay Area District Office: (707) 769-5652
About Sonoma SHP
Unlike most parks with a single plot of land and a continuous boundary, Sonoma State Historic Park is a scattering of historical sites consisting of six midtown locations near Sonoma's Plaza. Off the Sonoma Plaza are Mission San Francisco Solano, the Blue Wing Inn, Sonoma Barracks, the Toscano Hotel & Kitchen, and the Servants Quarters (the remains of La Casa Grande). General Vallejo's Home, also called Lachryma Montis, is less than a mile west of the Plaza. It was the estate of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Military Commander and Director of Colonization of the Northern Frontier and founder of Pueblo de Sonoma. The headquarters of Vallejo's Petaluma Adobe Rancho is also preserved as a separate unit of the State Park system and can be visited the same day with paid admission to Sonoma State Historic Park (view Petaluma Adobe SHP page).
Facilities
Free public parking is located behind the Sonoma Barracks off of First Street West. Public restrooms are located in the Sonoma Barracks Courtyard.
The Sonoma Plaza offers a variety of restaurants, shops, and the Sonoma Valley Visitor's Bureau. View Sonoma Valley Visitor's Bureau website.
Exhibits
The San Francisco Solano mission houses historical exhibits, an art exhibition, a museum chapel, and courtyard. The Sonoma Barracks across the street houses additional historic exhibits, several museum rooms, and our association's bookstore and gift shop. The Toscano Hotel offers a glimpse of early Italian-American business practices and lifestyles. The Vallejo Home has furnishings of the Vallejo family, historic and serene gardens, a resevoir, and a museum in the adjacent "Chalet".
Visitors to the park can also stroll through the streets surrounding the town’s historic central plaza or travel via the city's hike and bike path on the west side.
Tips for Your Visit
Weather
Summer mornings are often foggy, with sunshine replacing the fog in the afternoon. Expect strong afternoon winds and heavy winter rains. We recommend layered clothing.
Dogs in the Park
Dogs are not allowed in historic buildings that require payment for entry. Dogs on a leash are allowed on paved areas. Collecting or destroying anything in the park, including mushrooms, is prohibited.
Park Passes
Sonoma SHP accepts the following passes: Historian Pass (view details on the Historian Pass), Distinguished Veteran Pass (view details on the Distinguished Veteran Pass), and the 4th Grade Adventure Pass (view details on the 4th Grade Adventure Pass). Park passes can be acquired locally at the Bay Area District Office at 845 Casa Grande Road in Petaluma, California. Call the Bay Area District Office at (707) 769-5652 to learn how to acquire a pass. View Bay Area District Office web page.
Events
May 2025
Music in the Mission: “Raven and the D’Vine Band” - Thursday, May 1st, 7:00pm
Our fabulous music series continues with Raven and D’Vine playing an intimate concert of acoustic classic rock, rhythm & blues, and soul. Enjoy a spring evening with some great music! Admission at the door: General Public, $10.00 SPParks Members: $5.00. Doors open at 6:30pm. Sonoma SHP Mission Chapel. 114 East Spain Street, Sonoma.
“Following in the Footsteps of Padre Altimira” Lecture by Emily Walski - Thursday, May 15th, 7:00pm
Emily Walski, a former SSHP Guide with a degree in Public History, will discuss the entries from Father Altimira’s diary traveling in his steps from Mission Dolores, through Marin County and ending near present day Sonoma, the site of the 21st mission. Admission at the door: General Public: $10.00, SPParks Members: $5.00. Doors open at 6:30pm. Sonoma SHP Mission Chapel. 114 East Spain Street, Sonoma.
Monthly Campfire Program - Saturday, May 17th, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Come and enjoy a spring evening with a warm campfire, a few songs, and toasty marshmallow roast. This is an experience that’s fun for everyone! Enter through the wooden gates and proceed into the Sonoma Barracks courtyard for a short educational talk, singing a few traditional tunes, and a tasty marshmallow/s’mores roast! All ages welcome, free of charge.
Nature Hike - Saturday, May 24th, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Join us for our monthly program with a hike on the lower Montini Preserve Trail. Learn about history, nature, and community from our Park Interpretive Specialist. This slow-paced hike is a little over one mile in length with minor elevation changes. Sturdy shoes and water are recommended. Meet at the Vallejo Home parking lot at the end of 3rd Street West. All ages welcome, free of charge, no reservation needed. Steady rain cancels.
Educational Programs
Update on Environmental Studies Program
Guided School Tours, as well as PORTS On-Demand, are still available at Sonoma State Historic Park sites. View more information about Sonoma SHP's educational programs.
The Environmental Studies Program (ESP) at Sonoma State Historic Park will be on hiatus for the 2024-2025 school year. This is due in part to State Parks' Reexamining Our Past Initiative, which is a comprehensive review of the department's history and programs. As part of this initiative, State Parks is taking stock of and critically reexamining its past, looking specifically at contested place names, monuments, and interpretative programs in California's State Park System.
Sonoma State Historic Park is home to a number of sites that are associated with the state's history of colonialism. In recent years, there has been a growing movement to reexamine these sites and to develop new interpretive programs that more accurately reflect the experiences of Native Americans and other marginalized communities.
State Parks is committed to this work, and we believe that it is important to take the time to do it right. As a result, we have decided to put ESP on hiatus for the 2024-2025 school year. We will use this time to develop new interpretive programs that are grounded in contemporary research methodology and that fully contextualize California's history in parks.
We understand that this may be disappointing news for some of you, and we apologize for any inconvenience. We are committed to providing high-quality educational experiences for students, and we believe that this hiatus is necessary to ensure that ESP is able to meet those standards in the future.
We will continue to provide public updates on the Reexamining Our Past Initiative, and we will let you know as soon as we have more information about the future of ESP at SSHP. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit the State Parks webpage on the Reexamining Our Past Initiative to learn more about this important work. View more information about the Reexamining Our Past Initiative.
If you are still interested in your school participating in ESP in Sonoma county, the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park is offering ESP for the 2025-2026 school year. For more information about this program, please email petaluma.adobe@parks.ca.gov or view the Petaluma Adobe SHP ESP information page.
Docents are avaliable for both public and private tours.
For private tours please call ahead or email tyler.markley@parks.ca.gov to check for prices and avaliability.
We always suggest to call ahead to confirm if a docent is scheduled if you hope to catch a public tour of one of our historic locations.
Self-guided tour sheets are always available.
Mission San Francisco Solano: (707) 938-9560 Vallejo Home: (707) 938-9559
Site |
Day of the Week |
Time |
|
| Sonoma Mission Tours | Friday, Saturday and Sunday | 11:00am to 3:00pm | |
| Sonoma Barracks Tours | Saturday and Sunday | 11:00am to 3:00pm | |
| Vallejo's Home Tours | Saturday and Sunday | 1:00pm to 3:00pm | |
| Toscano Hotel & Kitchen Tours | Saturday and Sunday | 1:00pm to 3:00pm |
Private Group Tours are available by reservation in advance through Sonoma Petaluma Parks, Inc. (SPParks)
Private Group Tour Reservation
Volunteer in Parks Program
.jpg "visitors touring toscano kitchen with docent")
Curious about volunteer opportunities? Sonoma State Historic Park and Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park are closely related cultural history sites that thrive witih activity through a variety of volunteer roles.
Opportunities exist in docent tours, museum curation, bookstore sales, landscape maintenance, demonstrations, period clothing program and special events. Visit Sonoma Petaluma Parks, Inc. for events to attend and introduce yourself. We want to meet you!
To express your interest in the Volunteers in Parks Program (VIPP) with California State Parks, choose a link below to apply and specify your park of interest. If you are interested in volunteering at Sonoma SHP, send an application or additional inquiry to the VIPP Lead at tyler.markley@parks.ca.gov. If you are interested in volunteering at the Petaluma Adobe SHP, contact VIPP Lead Jennifer.Hanson@parks.ca.gov.
